Honeycomb hat



Feb. 16, 1965 H. L. HUMES, JR

HONEYCOMB HAT Filed Oct. 30. 1961 INVENTOR. HAROLD L. HUMES,JR.

his ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,16?,251 HONEYCOMB HAT Harold L. Homes, in, New York, N .Y., assignor to Parametrics Research 8; Development Company, Inc New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Get. 30, I961, Scr. No. 148,482 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-177) This invention relates to a novel cylindrical, toroidal honeycomb defined by a network of longitudinally extending cells which are expandable transversely to increase the internal and external diameters of the toroid. The novel construction of the present invention has various applications. One application, that of a novel hat, is described herein; it can also be used as a lampshade and as a reinforcing component in connection with the rigid cylindrical toroidal assembly described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 150,796, filed November 7, 1961, now abandoned.

The novel construction of the present invention is ideally suited for use as a hat because it is readily expanded at one end to fit any size head. The hat can be secured to the head by lacing a cord, ribbon or thong through the open network of the hat and tying the ends thereof together under the chin of the wearer. The hat can be made in attractive colors and the open network, in addition to affording an unusual appearance and at least an obscured view of the wearers hair and hairdo, permits the free how of air therethrough to ventilate the head. Notwithstanding the open network construction of the hat, it shades the head from the direct rays of the sun. When not in use it can be closed to its original cylindrical shape and easily stored or carried.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference can be made to the detailed description which follows and to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the present invention worn as a hat;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the present invention in its closed or unstretched condition; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating the honeycomb structure of the present invention in slightly expanded form.

The cylindrical, toroidal honeycomb of the present invention is shown in FIGURE 2. Essentially, it comprises a plurality of relatively rigid, radially disposed strips of paper, cardboard, or other suitable material which are glued or otherwise attached to an adjacent strip on one side at spaced-apart intervals and to an adjacent strip on the other side at spaced-apart intervals to form a honeycomb network. More specifically, referring to the enlarged fragmentary portion of the honeycomb structure shown in FIGURE 3, itis made up of a plurality of longitudinal strips 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, etc., arranged, as shown in FIGURE 2, in radial array about a central cylindrical open core 16. Each of the strips is scored, bent or hinged at spaced-apart intervals along its length to form a series of cell-defining walls or panels. Every other wall of each strip is connected to a wall of an adjacent strip, the arrangement being such that alternate connections are with the adjacent strip on one side and other alternate connections are with the adjacent strip on the other side. The strip 12, for example, is

3,169,251 Patented Feb. 16, 1965 aifixed to the adjacent strip 11 at A, to the other adjacent strip 13 at B, to the strip 11 at C, etc. Similarly, the strip 13 is connected to the strip 14 at A, to the strip 12 at B, to the strip 14 at C, etc. The resulting honeycomb network contains a plurality of individual longitudinally extending cells each defined at the central portion thereof by a pair of longitudinally extending walls and at the ends by a pair of angularly disposed walls which are joined together. For example, the cell designated by the reference numeral 17 in FIGURE 3 is defined by a pair of longitudinally extending walls a and b at the central portion of the cell, by a pair of angularly disposed walls c and d joined together at the connection A and by a pair of angularly disposed walls e and f joined together at the connection C.

Thehoneycornb network described above is preferably made in stack form and then formed into the cylindrical toroid shown in FIGURE 2 by afiixing the end strips together.

In the cylindrical toroid shown in FIGURE 2, the strips arranged in radial array are closely spaced so that the longitudinal walls a and b are spaced closely together and the hinged walls 0 and d, on the one hand, and e and f, on the other hand, define relatively small, acute angles. However, the honeycomb construction of the cylindrical toroid makes it possible to open one end wider than the other, as shown in FIGURE 1. Thus opened at one end, the honeycomb construction can be placed on the head as a hat which will readily accommodate itself to the size of the wears head. The hat can be held in place by lacing a cord, ribbon or thong 19 through spaced-apart cells of the hat near the top thereof with the free ends being tied or otherwise fastened beneath the chin of the wearer.

The cylindrical toroidal honeycomb of the present invention can be permanently shaped in the frustro-conical shape shown in FIGURE 1 by aflixing thereto relatively rigid inner and outer skins. The resulting structure can be used as a lampshade, a golf tee, etc. Alternatively, relatively elastic skins may be substituted for the rigid skins.

The term cylindrical is used herein to denote structures of both circular and non-circular cross-section. More specifically, the term cylindrical as used herein is intended to define the form traced by moving a straight line parallel to another fixed straight line is a closed path and, accordingly, is intended to include all tubular shapes, including shapes of rectangular cross-section.

The present invention has been shown in a single preferred form and by way of example, and obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein with out departing from the spirit of the invention. invention, therefore, is not to be limited to any specified form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are expressly set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A hat comprising; a tubular honeycomb of annular cross-section, said tubular honeycomb being characterized by an array of longitudinally extending strips in which the individual strips are affixed to an adjacent strip on one side at spaced-apart intervals and to an adjacent strip on the other side at spaced-apart intervals to define a plurality of longitudinally extending cells, the said cells being defined at least in part by walls joined The at acute angles to permit the honeycomb to expand so as to increase both the internal and external diameters of the honeycomb, the honeycomb being adaptedto be expanded at one end more than the other end to form a truncated conical tubular honeycomb structure to be placed on the head, and a flexible tie laced through at least two of the open cells of the hat and having free ends extending downwardly within the hat Whichcan 1 be secured together under the wearers chin to hold it;

MacDonald July 5, 1921 7 Dean Aug. 30, Rosenberg V Nov. 27, Beistle July 27, Merriman Aug. 26, Torricelli -Q Dec. 2, Steele .Q Feb. 9, Steele et al. ...2 Apr. 6, Weiner Jan. 21,

V FOREIGN PATENTS {France Jan. 5,

Great Britain Aug. 17,v

Great Britain July 24, 

